New Families, a ChoDudley Fanfic
by GinnyLion
Summary: The way I think it would have played out if Cho and Dudley had met after the war ended.
1. Chapter 1 Meeting

A/N: This is my first fanfic in quite a while, so please don't be too harsh! Haha, please review and whatnot. Thanks! =D

Dudley stood with his back to the television in the hotel room, facing his mother and father. He still gripped the letter in his hands, dropped through the window by a small brown owl nearly an hour ago. He had spent that last hour arguing with his parents about what to do next. "Harry is safe. You are free to return to your home. The war is over." There was no signature, no indication where it came from.

"Who cares what Harry does," his father asked. "We can't trust these people. How do we know they're not waiting for us at the house?"

"That's why I want to find Harry," Dudley retorted. "We've been over this a hundred times. I want to be sure everything is alright, that we will be safe."

"Duddykins," his mother interjected, "It's very sweet of you, but," she trailed off after a Vernon shot her a glare. Dudley stomped over to the window, trying to control his anger at his parents. All he wanted was to make sure it was safe for them. To be sure this letter wasn't from – what had they called them? Something horrible like Death Omens, he thought. He wanted to be sure no one was trying to trick them into a trap.

"Fine," he said firmly, staring out the window. "Stay here. I'll be back." He went into the bathroom and fit his fake moustache on his face. He thought it was stupid, but the little man who had taken them to the hotel told him it was the only way he knew "muggles" could disguise themselves. He shook his head again, thinking back on that conversation. The little man seemed so confused by what he called "muggle technology."

Finally, Dudley stormed out of the bathroom, picking up his knapsack, which had been filled with food and clothing by his mother. He was dressed in jeans, a pair of old sneakers, and his boxing jersey from Smeltings Academy. He slung the knapsack over his shoulder and kissed his mother on the cheek before he left the hotel room. As he walked down the hallway, he tried to decide where to go. The only thing he remembered was dropping his cousin off at King's Cross Station. Perhaps Harry would return there. It was his only hope. Dudley jumped in his father's car and headed for the train station.

Their hotel was very close to the station, so the drive only took a few minutes. He stood by the car for a while, thinking about the last time he had seen his cousin. Nervousness built inside him at seeing Harry again. What he had said felt stupid now. He gathered his courage and walked into the train station. Dudley went to the bench where he used to wait with his parents for Harry's return each year. While he waited, he thought back on all of the strange things that had happened there over the years. He felt sure that Harry would appear any minute, just as he had so many times before.

Sure enough, as he sat on the bench, people began to appear in the station, seemingly from nowhere. No one else ever seemed to notice, but the station filled with people dressed in strange clothes that didn't match, long cloaks, seemingly too hot for the weather, and there was even a little man he recognized by his odd top hat. He smiled to himself, knowing he was in the right place, and continued to wait for his cousin to appear.

Harry appeared on the platform nearly an hour after Dudley had arrived, hand in hand with a red haired girl Dudley recognized from previous years. He stood and rushed forward toward his cousin, greeting him with a sense of relief. Harry seemed surprised, but shook Dudley's hand and walked away with him to a quieter corner. Dudley quickly questioned Harry about the events of the last several months.

"What's with the moustache?" Dudley quickly took it off and stowed it in his pocket, waving off the question. "Yes, we've defeated him, he's gone for good," Harry finally concluded. "Why do you care?"

The question made Dudley uncomfortable. He realized he hadn't been the best cousin, but he had hoped Harry could forgive his past discretions. "Well," he hesitated, thinking what to say, "We got a letter. It said things were fine, but we didn't know who it was from, so I wanted to be sure it was okay to return home."

"Oh," Harry responded. He turned to leave, but Dudley caught his arm.

"Harry, I-" Dudley stopped as an incredibly beautiful dark-haired girl approached them sheepishly.

"I, er," she began, "Hi, Harry. Congratulations." She blushed and turned to leave, but Harry seemed to notice the slack-jawed look on Dudley's face.

"Cho," he said to the girl, "Thanks. This is my cousin, Dudley. He's just come to check up on me. But he knows all he needs to now. Right, Dud?" Dudley nodded, feeling suddenly sick. He wasn't very good with women. He had been on a few dates, sure, but he was awful at stating conversations or charming women. He cleared his throat nervously as Harry turned and left. The dark-haired girl, Cho, stayed behind, smiling at Dudley. He smile made him feel sicker.

"Nice to meet you, Dudley," Cho said shyly, turning her eyes to the ground, still smiling.

"It's, er, nice to meet you, too." Dudley took a deep breath and gathered his courage. "Is there any chance I could get your, er," he gulped nervously before finishing his sentence, "Phone number?"

"Oh, um," Cho began, and Dudley's heart fell through his stomach. "What's a phone number?"

Relief flooded through Dudley, and he laughed at the question. "How about a cup of tea," he asked instead. When she nodded, he grinned at her and led her off toward the exit, shooting a wink back at Harry and mouthing "Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2 Nervous

Dudley shot nervous glances at Cho every few seconds. His heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked tonight. He was stunned that it had been a whole year since they had met. Tonight, on their one year anniversary, he was taking her back to the place where they had had their first date. The little tea shop's neon sign was barely visible from their parking spot near King's Cross Station. He had decided to take the same walk from the train station to the tea shop that they had taken on their first date.

Scrambling to open her door for her, Dudley nearly tripped on the sidewalk. He cleared his throat nervously and helped her out of the car. "You're sweating," she chuckled. "All this time, and you're still nervous around me?" All he could do was laugh off Cho's comment. Of course he was still nervous around her, he loved her, and she was far too good for him, he though. But tonight was particularly nerve-wracking.

The walk from the train station to the tea shop took about ten minutes, because they both kept stopping to point out little things they remembered about certain spots. "Remember that," Dudley asked. "Under that lamp post was where we had our first kiss." The memory made a huge grin spread across his face. That had truly been a wonderful night. He turned to look at Cho, just to see the smile plastered across her face. That smile had made his heart melt every time he saw it in the past year.

"I can't believe it's been a year," she said softly, turning and kissing him gently as they passed under the light post. They both grinned and Dudley kissed her again, debating what to say and do next.

"Let's, ah," he started nervously. "Let's go get some tea." He held out his arm for Cho and they crossed the street together to the tea shop. Once inside, Dudley asked the hostess in a hushed tone if they could have a particular table – the same table they had sat in a year ago. Once the hostess had led them to that table, Cho smiled at the familiar surroundings.

"Déjà vu?" She grinned across the table at Dudley before lifting the menu in front of her face. Dudley nervously stuck his hand in his pocket. Good. It was still there.

A short, plump woman in an apron came to their table and greeted them fondly. They had been there a handful of times since that first night. The owner took pride in the fact that their relationship basically started in her shop. She thought it was good for business. "The Matchmaker," she called her shop. It was an apt title. Probably hundreds of relationships had begun inside these walls.

Once they had ordered, Dudley sat in his chair, nervously tapping his foot. Cho smiled at him, picking up on how anxious he was. "Goodness, Dud, we've been together for a year," she chuckled. "Honestly, you can relax." All Dudley could do was smile and chuckle lightly. Nervousness and apprehension built inside him. He had to breathe deeply and concentrate on Cho to relax himself. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating, even across the table. Her head was tilted to one side, stretching the muscles in her neck. Her eyes shone with a light he had never seen before. She bit her lip ever so slightly, making her bottom lip an even more vibrant red than normal. Her tan skin glistened with a trivial layer of sweat, giving her the somewhat of a glow.

As their food approached, Dudley continued to do his best to stay calm. He had regulated his breathing by concentrating on Cho's features. Finally, he was able to start a conversation.

"Do you remember our first date?" He smiled as he asked the question.

"Of course," she replied. "You were so nervous," she giggled. "I can't believe you still are." She grinned at him sheepishly over her dinner. He looked down at his food, smiling broadly.

"Do you remember what I told you," he asked, "About my family?"

"Yes…you were brought up in a home where magic was condemned…" she finished by asking, "Why?"

"Well," he started, "You've taught me so much about the world. I was so sheltered when we met. The only real reason I was there was because I thought my family was in danger. I was relieved to find that Harry was okay, too, but it was more than that. I found that the world – your world – wasn't really as bad as they told me."

Cho cocked her head and gave him a quizzical look. "Well, I'm glad I could change your mind." The smile had faded from her face, and she looked a bit nervous.

"Er, maybe I'm going about this the wrong way," Dudley responded nervously. "What I wanted to say is that…you changed me, Cho. I'm a better person because I know you." He anxiously stuck one hand in his pocket and grabbed hers with his other hand. "I love you, Cho Chang," he said, his voice quivering. He stood from his chair, and got down on one knee, facing her. This was the biggest moment of his life. He gathered his courage, pulled the box from his pocket, flicking it open to reveal the ring inside, and finally asked, "Will you marry me?"


	3. Chapter 3 Family

A/N: I'm sorry, this chapter felt rushed, and I have no idea where to go from here...not my best work, lol. My apologies! -Ginny

"Dudley," Cho gasped, admiring the beauty of the ring he had presented to her. "I can't believe-" she started, but couldn't seem to catch her breath. She couldn't believe that this was happening. It was such perfect timing. "Dudley," she stared into his eyes for a moment, trying to form the words. Finally, she blurted, "I'm pregnant."

She watched as Dudley's jaw went slack, his mouth hanging open. She worried for a second, until an enormous smile spread across his face. Relief flooded her as he rose to a standing position and pulled her up into his arms. She was so thankful for his excitement, nothing could upset her in this moment.

"Oh my god, Cho, " Dudley responded. "I can't believe it. A baby! I wonder if she'll be-" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing where they were. "Oh, I mean…I'm so happy, Cho! I can't believe it."

All she could do was grin at Dudley. She was surprised at his reaction, but it made her happier than he could possibly know. When she had found out she was pregnant, she was so worried that something would go wrong, she waited almost two full weeks to tell him, feeling like it had never been the right time. When he had proposed, she finally knew that this was all right, that things really would work out for them. Relief and happiness mixed within her to form an incredible emotion that flooded her body.

When Dudley finally calmed down from his excitement over having a child, he sat back in his chair. The owner of the tea shop ran over to them, and asked Dudley how it had gone. Cho chuckled, and Dudley shouted at her, "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!"

"A wedding AND a baby! How exciting," the little woman exclaimed, "I can't believe it!"

"Oh," Dudley replied. "Well, she hasn't quite answered yet." Cho noticed him glance nervously at her, but all she could do was laugh.

"Of course, you silly boy," she said, reaching her hand across the table to grasp his.

At that moment, Dudley stood and shouted for the whole shop to hear, "SHE SAID YES!" Cho just chuckled and put a hand on her stomach as a round of applause erupted from the other occupants of the shop. There was no doubt in her mind that their baby would have a wonderful home, an incredible life, and the best father she could offer him or her. The thought left her elated in every way.

Dudley spent the next several months arranging for their marriage and their baby. They had decided to wait until after Cho had the baby to hold the wedding, so she would have time to lose weight to fit into her wedding dress. This was important to Cho. They also needed to raise money to care for the baby and in order to have the wedding and the home they wanted.

Finally, a very pregnant Cho and her fiancée settled into their new home together. It was a spacious three-bedroom house in a muggle village very near Cho's parents. They had both agreed to help with the baby, once it was old enough, so that Dudley and Cho could continue working. It was the perfect house for raising a family, and Cho took extreme pride in her husband's judgment and hard work. He had found a job working as a manager of a firm in competition with his father's, and had worked night and day to raise money for their little family.

Dudley had insisted on taking Cho to a muggle doctor to try and get something called an "ultrasound," but the machine had malfunctioned when the doctor turned it on. Apparently, they had their answer as to whether the baby would be a witch or wizard. It was one of the proudest days of Dudley's life, and he couldn't wait to meet his magical child.

Finally, the day came when Cho started having contractions. Dudley rushed home from work to find their midwife, Harry's wife, and his cousin already at the house with Cho. "Congratulations, old chap," Harry greeted Dudley as he ran through the door. "They're in the other room while I tend the other children," he chuckled. They had become close in the months since Dudley had proposed to Cho. Dudley thought of Harry as a brother now, and they were closer than they had ever been. He stopped speaking with his father shortly after meeting Cho, and he and his mother only spoke occasionally, because of her resent for the path he had taken in life, which she was unable to take. Dudley said he regretted nothing, but wished her alliance to his father could be weaker.

By the time Dudley got to her, the baby's entire head was visible, though Cho was still trying to push the baby out. He ran to her, taking Ginny's place, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and letting her squeeze his hands. He kissed her as the baby came into the world, and went to cut its umbilical cord. "It's a girl," he exclaimed, pride welling inside him. He wiped the sweat from his wife's face and waited with her while their daughter was cleaned and wrapped in a soft pink blanket.

Finally, the moment came when Cho was able to hold her daughter. She was exhausted and sweaty and she felt exposed, but none of that mattered when her daughter was lowered into her arms. She saw the pride in her husband's eyes and felt like there could be no greater moment in history. She brought the baby to her face and kissed her. "Rowena," she said, "Rowena Dursley." After naming their daughter, Cho slowly drifted off to sleep, pride and happiness filling her completely.


End file.
